Finding Home
by NightEternal
Summary: When SGA-13 hits a solar flare, their lives are changed forever. For some, its about finding courage to face the truth. For others, its about learning to trust. For Stephanie, its about finding home, and just what, exactly, home means. *Rating May Go Up*
1. Prologue

~ Prologue ~

"Sierra Golf Alpha – One Three, this is home base. Please respond."

Stephanie growled. It was difficult enough to keep hidden. Radio chatter wasn't going to help the situation any. She shifted slightly to grab hold of the radio on her vest.

"Home base this is Sierra Golf Alpha – One Three." She whispered. "With all due respect command, radio silence is difficult to maintain when people talk." The irritation in her voice was clear. The chatter turned to static for a moment before a response was made.

"What's your situation, Lieutenant?" The voice on the other end was clipped. She couldn't help wondering if that man was ever in a good mood.

"Recon intell was wrong, sir. There's primitive life and..."she paused as a limb snapped to her left. A moment later a face appeared in the brush and she let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"And what, Lieutenant?"

"Dinosaurs, sir."

"Dinosaurs?"

She nearly laughed. It was understandable how anyone not in her position could find it difficult to believe. Hell, she probably wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen it all for herself. "Yes, sir. Big, ugly dinosaurs. They, and the humanoid lifeforms, seem to possess limited intelligence, but their base instincts are extremely keen."

"Not to strange, seeing as how their survival depends on their abilities to hunt down and kill each other." A third voice entered the conversation.

She grinned, shaking her head slightly. "Wow."

"Wow what?"

"Nothing."

"Stephanie."

"Yeah?"

"Wow what?"

"Nothing. As always, I'm just so surprised by the level of your skills in deductive reasoning and stating the obvious."

"Oh, shut up."

"Children. Can we please get back to the issue at hand?"

"Of course, sir."

"Good. Do we need to send back-up?"

"Negative, command. Its too dangerous to risk sending another team through. We're going to fall back to the treeline nearest the gate, and wait for nightfall. It should be fairly easy to dial out under cover of darkness."

"Agreed. You have twelve hours, Lieutenant. After that, I'm sending Alpha team through to retrieve you."

"Copy that command. McKay out." She closed her eyes and leaned back against the trunk of the tree she'd been using as cover. After a moment, she grabbed her radio again and gave the signal to fall back. As she made her way through the thick underbrush, she let her mind wander a bit.

She had never thought she'd enjoy being team leader. She'd never really considered herself the type for the position. Everyone, not just her, had figured Torren for the spot. In hindsight, he was better for it anyways. He was older, stronger, faster, and a much better fighter than she was.

"Stephanie? It's Nero. Come in?"

"Yeah, Nero? I'm here. What's up?"

"Kat and I are at the treeline. Sun should be setting in the next two hours or so."

"Alright. Just stay put. Torren, where are you?"

"Roughly point five clicks off your right flank."

"Okay, good. Torren and I will be there in about five minutes. Barring the likely chance of an encounter, in which case, be ready to dial the gate."

"Copy that. We'll be right here, just...waiting."

Stephanie skirted a clearing, noticing several smaller dinosaurs huddled about something she was fairly certain she didn't want to know what it had been. She moved quickly, staying as low as possible. She was ready to get back home. As much as she enjoyed going off world, she also enjoyed sleeping in a warm bed. She was brought from her thoughts as the ground moved up to meet her. She managed to regain her footing before falling completely, but it was already to late. She took off in a dead run as the creatures looked up, catching her scent.

"Nero! Dial the gate and send the IDC through. Kat, be ready to give cover fire. Torren, I need you now, buddy. I got a pack of 'em on my six and it doesn't look like I'm going to be able to shake them." She ran full out in the direction of the stargate, pulling her P-90 up as she went and turning to fire off a short burst. The familiar sound of P-90 fire coming from her right was a relief to her. He had been closer than he had said. Under normal circumstances, she would have gotten angry and told him off, but they weren't exactly under normal circumstances. She could just make out Kat's form in the trees a few yard ahead, P-90 raised and ready to fire. Oh, she loved that girl. Always ready to fight, always ready to kill.

"Come on!" Stephanie yelled to Torren as she pulled her P-90 up again, letting off a short burst towards the underbrush as he moved past her.

She was composed, stoic really, on the outside, but underneath she was seething. They had been told that the planet was uninhabited, and that the only life they should expect to see would be plant life. She was going to kill the team that had done recon for the tropical planet as soon as she stepped back through the gate.

"Nero?"

"Gate is active." was the brisk response, sounding from somewhere behind her. She let off another round before turning once more and rushing past her other two teammates to take up another position several yards closer to the gate. As the others fired, she reloaded, tossing the empty cartridge to the ground. As the other two fell back, she let off a single, long round and ran backwards towards the now activated gate. Taking one last look around, she turned and ran full on through the Event Horizon. Yes, killing the morons responsible would certainly make her feel much better.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Unauthorized incoming wormhole." Chuck said over the intercom, as a siren began to sound and lights flashed. "Receiving IDC."

"Who is it?" Woolsey asked as he entered the control room from his office. There was never a dull day in the Pegasus Galaxy.

"It's...SGA-13? Do we have a 13, sir?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Lower the Iris."

"Lowering the Iris."

As the translucent force field fell from the Event Horizon, four bodies flew into the Gate Room, stumbling and tripping in their haste. As Stephanie stood, having tumbled to the floor upon arrival, she could tell something was wrong. Her fears were confirmed as Mr. Woolsey, and several familiar looking people walked down the steps, and close to a dozen Marines trained their P-90s on them.

Realization struck a moment later, as a medical team came up the ramp, another familiar face at the lead. She couldn't suppress the groan that formed on her lips as she closed her hazel eyes. She felt the others looking at her, searching her for the answers as to why no one seemed to know who they were and why they had guns pointed at them. She shot them a lopsided grin, near identical to that of her father.

"We are so dead when we get home."

"Stephanie?"

"Yeah, Kat?"

"What's going on?"

"I think we hit a flare."

"As in 'Solar Flare'?"

Stephanie nodded. She couldn't find the words to tell her team that, while they were technically home, they were so very far away from everything they knew.

"I don't...what's that mean?" The deep voice of Torren came from her left, and she caught a glimpse of a body shifting.

"It means, we've either gone forward in time, or, the more likely of the two seeing as how not a single damn person here seems to know who we are, backwards in time."

"Oh."

"Yeah. My thoughts exactly."

Their semi-private conversation was interrupted there as the people they knew as their parents came closer.

"Who are you people, exactly?" John Sheppard asked as he looked them all over. They wore the standard BDUs and carried P-90s, but with everything that had happened since their arrival in the Pegasus Galaxy, he was hesitant to blindly accept anything, even if it was his own mind telling it to him.

Stephanie smiled softly at him and took a step forward, placing herself at the front of the team. She may not have wanted the job as leader of the team, but she did take it seriously. She rested her arms on the stock of her gun as she let it hang from her vest.

"I'm Stephanie Elizabeth McKay. This is Katriessa Valarie Dex," She pointed to her right. Green eyes glinted beneath thick lashes and short, shaggy dirty-blonde hair. She tilted her head in acknowledgment and resumed looking around. Stephanie motioned to the black haired young man behind her, "That's Nero Aiden Sheppard, and this strong, silent man-boy to my left would be Torren John Emmagan. We're SGA-13."

"Really?" All of the adults shared a look, a mixture of shock, disbelief and concern. "I think we should go somewhere a bit more...private."

"Yes," Woolsey stepped in. "It would seem there is much to discuss."

He turned and headed back up the stairs. Everyone followed him in silence, still trying to come to terms with what had just happened. They followed him through the control room and into his office, the door closing softly behind Nero as the last to enter the room. Stephanie just knew this was going to take a while. Things like this always did.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This applies for the story in general, because I hate posting these things. I own: Stephanie, Katriessa, Nero, and grown-up Torren. The plot was a gift from Cede-Lede, and everything else belongs to the wonderful guys that brought us SG, SG1, SGA and SGU. Thanks guys!

~ Chapter One ~

"Wait a second. Back up. You're telling me – us, I mean us- that you're our children...from the future, nonetheless, and you just expect us to believe you? I mean come on! How stupid do you think we are?"

Stephanie shook her head softly. Her back was aching horribly, having been pressed against the cold metal wall of Woolsey's office for the better part of two hours. She had enough problems with it under normal circumstances, the result of a rather unfriendly encounter with a hostile Wraith a year or so before. Oh how she wished she had some pain killers with her.

"Look, Dad..."

"Stop calling me that. I am not your father!"

"Yes! You are my father. Just not yet."

"Fine. Prove it."

She took a deep breath as she pushed off from the wall. Rolling her shoulders, she crossed her arms over her chest and moved to stand toe to toe with him.

"How?"

"I don't know." His voice went up an octave, something she was used to. It meant that he really wasn't sure about something, and that he didn't have the answers.

"We could do a DNA test. Run all of you against all of us." 

"Yeah, I guess we could, but-"

"Wouldn't that take a while?" John cut in. Stephanie was happy some things always remained the same. She always enjoyed listening to her father and Uncle John bicker like children.

"Well, yes, but at least we would have a definitive answer."

"Or," Stephanie began, "You could just accept what you know is true. Don't tell me you don't feel the connections between all of us. We're family, and I don't give a damn what time we're in, that matters. You know I'm telling the truth, you're just afraid to accept it."

"Stephanie's right. I mean, you may not be my biological father, but you raised me from infancy. You taught me right from wrong." Nero looked at John. There was always something about Nero, something in his eyes that made people want to believe him. It helped that he rarely lied. To be so stoic and cold in the field, Nero often wore his heart on his sleeve and his face was an open book to his emotions.

A moment of silence passed as everyone in the room thought about the situation. The leaders of the expedition knew they had to make a choice, and they knew they had at least two options. On one hand, they could accept what they were being told. On the other hand, they could be spies, or simply a means for the Wraith, or some other enemy, to find Atlantis. John wasn't willing to just let them wander the city freely, no matter what his gut was telling him.

"Doctor Keller, I want all of them checked out. Full physicals, blood test, the works. Check for transmitters of any kind, and for any sort of possible biological contagions." He looked at the four young adults. "Now don't go jumping to conclusions just yet. It just a precaution. We can't take anything at face value, and if you really are a part of this...'family,' you'll understand the reasons why. I'm not saying I don't believe you, and I'm not saying I do. Truth is, I'm not entirely sure what to believe right now. So, all of you just follow the nice doctor, submit to the usual humiliation that comes with the check up, again you should be used to it if you are who you say you are, and give us grown-ups time to think about all of this, alright? Good. Now, shoo."

The four of them stood, staring at him for a moment before nodding and following Doctor Keller from the room. Just as the doors closed behind them, a snicker could be heard followed by what sounded like 'typical,' and 'that was so predictable.'

John turned to look at the others in turn. "Well?"

"Well, what?" Ronon spoke for the first time since the their arrival.

"Do we think they're telling the truth? I mean, I've seen the future, and none of this was mentioned."

"Yes, but by having come back through the Stargate, you immediately changed the future, John." Teyla interjected. "I am proof enough of that, am I not? Had you not returned, I would be dead and Michael would have Torren."

"Exactly. So the future's changed. That still doesn't mean that what they say is true."

"Rodney, you can't really stand there and tell us that you didn't see it. We all saw it. She is exactly like you."

"Oh, she is not!"

"Is so." Ronon smirked.

"I fail to make the connection." Rodney huffed and crossed his arms. Everyone shared a knowing look and John smiled.

"Of course you do."

"It's settled then?" Woolsey stood from behind his desk.

"No. It's not, but for the time being, I think we should go with it. If they're lying, whatever they're hiding will eventually come to light. If they're telling the truth, then we get to see how our fantastic group parenting skills pay off." John shrugged.

"Group parenting skills?" Rodney asked as they left the office.

"What? You don't think any of us are going to go it alone, do you? I mean, obviously we're all in it together. Otherwise, she wouldn't be 'Lieutenant' Stephanie McKay, Nero wouldn't be so open about his emotions, obviously Teyla's influence there, and the other two would be just like their parents, which they aren't."

"Why would anyone let you influence their children?"

"What are you talking about? I'm a great influence. Hell, I'm role model material." John smirked as the four of them entered the mess hall.

"Yeah, right." Ronon smirked again as he made for the serving line.

"What?" John called after him. "I am. Aren't I?"

Rodney just walked away, his mind suddenly on eating.

"Of course, you are, John." Teyla offered a comforting smile and a pat on the shoulder before heading off to feed the son she knew was her own.

"Right. I am." He said to himself, nodding firmly as though he could make it true by being confident about it.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"So..."

"So?" Stephanie smiled. Her mother never was one to deal with situations like this easily. She always tried to hard for conversation. "You don't have to say anything. I know that I'm right. We are your children, whether you believe it or not."

"Right. Well, if what you say is true, then you know that all of this is necessary."

"Justly so, and that's fine." She could see Keller's hand shake a bit. She reached down and took the hand between her own, causing Jennifer to look up from what she was doing. "Really, mom. It's fine. Everything is fine."

"M-mom?"

"Yeah. Sorry. It slipped. Won't happen again." Stephanie let go quickly, looking about nervously.

Jennifer smiled, realizing at that moment just how much this girl, her daughter, acted like Rodney. She believed their story. Looking at Stephanie, there was no way she couldn't. "No. It's fine. I've just never been called 'mom' before."

Stephanie smiled, her head cocking to the side a bit. "Well, get used to it, because I refuse to call you Jennifer, or Doctor Keller."

"Right. That would be a bit awkward, I suppose." She tied a tourniquet around her upper arm and swiped her forearm with an alcohol pad. As she prepped the needle and test tubes, she looked into the young woman's eyes. "Not afraid of these things, are you?"

Stephanie couldn't help but chuckle. "Please. I've been hit with many a Wraith Stunner, Zat gun, and various other electrical pulses. Not to mention the two or three times I've been shot, thrown through the Stargate and across the Gate Room, and the various fights with the random hostile being. The last thing I'm going to be afraid of is- OW!"

"Sorry. Figured I just go for it while you were ranting. I knew you wouldn't tense up if your mind was elsewhere." Jennifer smiled as Stephanie huffed and flexed her hand a bit. "There really is no denying you as Rodney McKay's daughter, is there?"

"Someone say my name?" Rodney, John, Ronon and Teyla walked in, looking about at the four newest residents of what they liked to think of as their fair city.

"As a matter of fact, yes." Jennifer smiled at him, a smile that screamed 'I'm in love'.

"So, Doc. Anything on our patients?" John stepped in before things got mushy. He hated mushy.

"Right. Well, they're all clean of transmitters, and as far as any of my scanners show they're all perfectly healthy, save the few various scrapes and bruises. I haven't run the blood tests yet, but I'm pretty positive those will be clean, too." She said as she removed the needle from Stephanie's arm and pressed a cotton ball to it.

"Right. Well, I guess we're stuck with all of you for the time being, and while I could just throw you all into the brig, I'm fairly certain you'll be needing your own personal quarters, so if you're done with them, Doc, I'd like to steal them all away from you."

"They're all yours. Oh, and Rodney?"

"Yes?"

"Just accept it." With that, Jennifer turned and walked towards her office, test tubes in hand.

Rodney huffed as the four passed by him. He followed the others at a distance, lost in thought, until someone gently prodded his arm. He looked up into the bright amber eyes of his supposed daughter. Come to think of it, he thought, they do look a lot like Jennifer's. He sighed. "Can I help you?"

"I just wanted to say, for what it's worth, I really wish you would accept it. I like to think we're pretty close in my time, and I'd hate for that to change. You don't have to say anything. Just..."she tried to swallow the lump in her throat, "think about it, okay?"

He paused in his steps, looking at her for a moment before pulling her into a hug. While shocking to his teammates, Nero, Kat, and Torren simply smiled and continued their conversation. "Believe me, it's not that I don't want to believe you," he whispered so that only she could hear him, "I just don't...I don't want you to be wrong. If that makes any sense at all."

"Come on, Dad. I'm your daughter, if anyone understands half the things you say, it'll be me." She pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Now, come on. I'd hate for the others to see me going all emotional. I'm the leader. I'm tough, unemotional, callous. What would they think of me, if I suddenly turned into you?"


	3. Chapter 2

~ Chapter 2 ~

Stephanie rolled her shoulders as she sat down on her bed. Every part of her ached, begging for a hot shower and a long, deep sleep. She couldn't really deny that she was feeling more than a little worse for the wear. After the day she'd had, who could? She sighed as she cracked first her knuckles, then her neck. It was an old habit that, try as her mother might, she couldn't let go of. There was something about it that made her feel a little better at the end of the day, almost like a release of built up energy and tension.

She pulled her bag onto the bed and rummaged about inside for a moment before pulling out a thick, leather-bound book and a black fountain pen. Some found it strange that she carried these things, especially considering the advancements of technology. Personal 'notebooks,' as they were known, had made pen-and-paper forms obsolete when she was eleven. Everyone had ditched the notebook and pen for the electronic writing tablet and stylus, as they had become quite affordable. Schools had even begun adding them to the required materials lists.

Personally, she had always preferred putting ink to paper. She loved the smell of the handmade paper, the way the pen flowed across the pages. So, she had kept the handmade notebook, a birthday present from Teyla on her twelfth birthday and made by a craftsman on New Athos, and the fountain pen her mother's father had given her when she had visited the summer before her ninth birthday, with her at all times. She never wanted to miss the chance to write down everything that was important.

As she opened to a fresh page, her mind wandered over everything that had taken place within the previous twenty-four hours. There was so much to put down, but she was unsure of where to begin. Normally, she would have had at least two pages full by the time she began to think of what to write, but now things seemed different. As she pressed the tip of the pen down and began to write, a chime sounded, filling the room with a soft, melodic tone.

"Yes?" She waved her hand over the crystal panel and the door slid open.

"Up for some fun?" On the other side stood Kat, Torren and Nero. They had all dressed down and shared similar looks of mischief.

"Guys?"

"Come on, Steph." Nero gave her a look that would have made her give in automatically, had she been anyone else.

"You know that doesn't work on me, Nero."

"Eh," he shrugged, "figured it couldn't hurt to give it a shot."

"Right. So, what are you three planing?"

"Nothing bad. We were gonna sneak into the Armory, grab a few Intars and head out to the West pier for some impromptu laser tag." Torren smiled.

"Like he said, nothing bad. Nothing we haven't done before, anyways." Kat added.

"I'll pass. You guys go ahead. I think I'm just gonna crash."

Nero shot her a sympathetic smile. "If you say so."

"I do say so. Now, off with you," She waved them off, "And try to stay out of trouble, will you? As much as this looks like home, the people here don't know what we get away with in our time."

They all laughed as they walked off, leaving her standing in her doorway, shoulder pressed to the door frame. She got the feeling that, within a few hours time, she would either be joining them on the pier, or visiting them the brig. In all honesty, she wasn't entirely sure which on she would have preferred. She stepped back into her room, the soft hiss of the door sliding closed an odd comfort. She picked up her pen and notebook once more, sitting Indian-style on the monochromatic bed.

_'So much has happened. The pessimist inside of me wonders if this changes anything at all. The optimist inside is silently hoping that it does. I'm so confused. Uncle John told me something when I was little, about traveling through time. He said it was disorienting, like a very vivid dream, one of the ones where you know you're dreaming, but you can't do anything about it. He was right. I just wish I could wake up. I wish I knew that everything would be alright, and that we're gonna be able to find a way home. I don't really fancy sticking around, growing old with my own parents, watching myself be born, and growing up. How awkward that would be, to watch my life as though it were a movie. _

_I wish he were here. He'd know what to do, what to say. He always makes things seem better, brighter, even when I know they aren't. Even if I did happen across him here, he wouldn't know. He wouldn't understand why I look at him the way I do, why I act so differently when he's around. He's been there, watching out for all of us, my entire life, but now, it feels as though I'm completely alone. I know I have the others, and I know they'll always be there for me when I need them, but its different with him. I don't feel as though I have to be the strong one whenever he's around, I don't have to be so calm and logical. With him, I can just let go. With him, I'm real. If I could have just one wish, I'd wish for him to be here.'_

She closed the notebook with a sigh. It was all true. She was completely lost without him. As she put the pen and book away, she couldn't help looking back, memories of home fluttering through her mind like crazed butterflies. Flashes of the year she spent on Earth, trying to fit in, to be normal mixed with glimpses of romantic picnics under full moons. Shaking her head, as though the action would clear away the memories and the sudden overwhelming sense of homesickness, Stephanie grabbed her jacket making her way out the door and towards the West pier. The route was so familiar, she needn't have even looked to see where she was going. Her feet knew exactly where to take her. At the last moment, she took a sharp left and made for a set of stairs concealed behind a grouping of columns and ended up looking out over the pier, and her teammates, from the balcony.

Leaning against the smooth metal railing, she looked out over the waves, the last glimmers of sunlight clinging desperately to the horizon, casting the city in vibrant shades of reds and golds. In that moment, as she breathed deeply from the salty air, she could almost feel him, standing there beside her as he often did, one arm wound protectively about her waist, holding her as close to himself as he could. For the first time in nine years, Stephanie let go of her iron-bound emotions, and for the first time in nine years, she let herself cry.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Where is she?" Rodney mumbled, fingers flying across the keys of his laptop. He had gone to check on Stephanie, on his daughter, only to find her gone. Thinking she was with one of the others, he went to search for her. His search had turned up nothing, as all of her friends were missing as well. This was when he decided to radio John, Ronon and Teyla in hopes of getting some help. The city was large, and while they likely knew their way around, he still wasn't fond of the idea of four young adults wandering about at night in a city where trouble just happened to lurk around every corner.

Being a father was something Rodney McKay had never dared to dream for. He knew he had an abrasive personality, and his social skills were severely lacking, but that was who he was. That was Rodney McKay. The downside to that was that women didn't like abrasive and awkward. It was hard to dream of being a father when one could barely manage to get a date. It didn't take a genius like Rodney to realize that it took quite a bit to go from single to father, and the fact that he knew who the mother was didn't make things any easier.

"Rodney?" Teyla's voice came over his comm.

"Yeah? Did you find her?"

"No, but we have found the others."

"We?"

"Yes. Ronon, Colonel Sheppard and myself crossed paths just as we came upon the exit to the Western pier. They were playing a game. 'Lazer Tag' I believe they called it."

"Okay. Stay there. I'm on my way. Did they say where Stephanie was?"

"They say they do no know. They asked her to join them, but she declined. Torren said that, when they left her, she was in her quarters."

"Well, she's not there now, is she?" He huffed as he made his way to nearest transporter.

Within moments he was outside, looking at the three young adults as they hung their heads, trying to avoid the looks they were being given by their respective parents.

"Well?" It was easy to tell when John was at his limit, and by the sound of it, he was beyond that point.

"Well, what?" Kat muttered.

"What the hell were you all doing out here? You could have been hurt. What if one of you had slipped off the pier, huh? What then?"

"We were having some fun. We do it all the time. Besides, we know how to swim, so that really wouldn't have mattered."

"I very much doubt that swimming would be much of a help. Its the middle of winter on this planet, and while it may not seem like it, that water is about 25 degrees. You'd be dead before anyone could get to you." Rodney snapped. "Now, where the hell is Stephanie?"

"We already told the others. We don't know. When we left her, she was in her room. She told us she was going to sleep."

"Well obviously she didn't."

"Look, Uncle Rodney, Stephanie knows this city as well as anyone. Where ever she is, I'm sure she's fine. She can take care of herself."

"There are still parts of this city we have no clue about. Any number of horrible things could be lying in wait in some abandoned lab, ready to kill everyone on this base. I don't give a damn if you all think you know Atlantis." Rodney glared at each of them in turn. Really, they couldn't possibly be so stupid.

John jumped in, attempting to save them from the wrath of Rodney McKay."I think what Rodney's trying to say, is that this isn't the same city you left. There are so many things we still don't know, and until we do know them, you're to remain within the limits, same as everyone else. Are we clear?"

The three said nothing, choosing instead to toss their Intars at their parent's feet and walk away in silence. As the door slid shut behind them, Rodney sighed. He still didn't know where Stephanie was.

"Rodney, perhaps they are right. Perhaps you are taking things a bit to far. I am certain that Stephanie will be fine. She is a smart girl, and she is strong. She can look after herself." Teyla lay a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Teyla's right, buddy. You're blowing this out of proportion. You do have a knack for being overly dramatic sometimes."

"Really?" Rodney couldn't help but feel a little affronted. No one had ever told him he was being over dramatic about anything.

"Yes." Ronon gave that half smirk he was so well know for before picking up the guns and taking them back to the armory.

"Come. Perhaps some tea will calm you." Teyla led him by the elbow. As they turned the corner, John stopped, signaling Rodney and Teyla to do the same.

"You guys hear that?"

"Hear what?"

There was a noise coming from their right. John moved closer, looking about. That's the first time he noticed the set of stairs, cleverly hidden from view. A rustling sound caught his attention, followed by a moan and a whimper. He moved slowly up the steps. As he came upon the balcony, he noticed a form, huddled in the shadows. It whimpered again, shifting slightly. Upon closer inspection, he found it was their missing time-traveler.

"Psst. Hey, you okay, kid?"

No response. Great, she was a sleep. He picked her up gently and made his way back down. A look of relief flooded Rodney's face. John smiled, handing her over to him. Surprisingly, she didn't weigh as much as he had thought she would.

"You want us to come with?"

"Hm? No. No, I think this is something I should do. You know, father-daughter kind of thing. At least I think it is. I'm not really sure what to do, to be honest."

"Just follow your heart, Rodney. It knows best in things like this." Teyla and John bid him goodnight as he headed back to the transporter. As he pressed the screen, the weight in his arms shifted.

"Huh? Wha-where am I?"

Rodney sat her gently on her feet. "In a transporter. We've been looking everywhere for you. John found you, asleep on a balcony over the pier."

Stephanie knew by the sound of his voice that he wasn't happy. Suddenly she found the hem of her shirt quite interesting.

"Stephanie."

"Yeah?"

"Look at me."

She looked up through thick lashes. That was when he noticed that her eyes were swollen, red and bloodshot. He pulled her to him, hugging her tightly. How could he be mad at her? When she looked at him, all he wanted to do was grab hold of her, make sure she was real and that he wasn't just dreaming it all up. He felt her arms go around him as she buried her face in his shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry anyone. I just needed somewhere to think, somewhere I could be alone. I didn't want anyone seeing me so...weak."

"Weak?"

"I haven't cried since I was eleven, since you and mom left me with Aunt Jeannie on Earth. I don't like people seeing me that way. I'm a leader, people look up to me, and they look to me for answers. They need to know that I won't crack under pressure, that I won't let emotion rule me. So, for me, crying is weak, you see?"

"Yeah." He was still holding her. He didn't know what else to do. The doors opened and they separated, stepping out and walking slowly down the hall, silence falling over them again. She hugged him again, as they reached her quarters.

"I'm sorry again, Dad. I – I won't do it again. I promise."

"Just...keep you comm on." He let go of her and kissed her cheek. "And Stephanie, if you need anything, you know where you can find me, or any of the others if you need to."

"I know, Dad. Night."

He watched as she entered her room, not looking away until the door had completely closed. "Yeah. Night."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A/N: Hm. Awkward chapter. I just felt that it needed to be done this way. Let me know what you all think in the comments. I'm happy to take any and all ideas, suggestions, and constructive criticism. Thanks.


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: Wow. Guys I am soooo sorry its taken me so long to get this posted. Life has be crazy lately. New job, moving, everything. Not having had internet for about a month and a half really hasn't helped at all. Anywho, I've gotten my good laptop fixed up, and set up so from here on in it shouldn't take nearly as long. Again I apologize and I thank you all for being so patient.

~Chapter 3~

_'Long days, sleepless nights. Can't stop wishing I were in his arms. This sucks. Its not that I hate it here, I just wish...hell, I don't even know what I wish for anymore. I keep thinking that, if I could just see him, just be near him, it wouldn't hurt so bad. Then I think of how foolish and naive that sounds. Seeing him could very well make things so much worse.'_

"Mind if I come it?"

"Hmn?" Stephanie looked up from her writing to see Kat, leaning nonchalantly against the door frame. "Oh. Yeah, sure."

"What's up with you lately?"

"What do you mean?" Stephanie closed her notebook and set it aside, capping her pen and placing it on top.

"I mean, you've been pretty out of it the past few days. Everything alright?" Kat was worried for her best friend, no, her sister. After everything they had been through together with Nero and Torren, they were as much family as anyone else ever had a right to be. Siblings was a better way to categorize their relationship.

Stephanie thought about the question for a moment. No, everything wasn't alright. She wondered if she should tell Kat how she was really feeling. Out of all of the people around them, Kat had been the first to know her true feelings for him and she had been the first one to accept them as a couple. She had fought for them when they were to tired to fight for themselves against the onslaught of disapproval and protests from others in the city. Not to mention the fight against the IOA and SGC. Sighing she turned, looking into the eyes of the one person she knew she could trust, and she broke down.

"I mi-miss him so much, Kat. I just want to be with him, be near him. What I wouldn't give to catch his scent just once. Gods, you must think I'm crazy." She found herself in the arms of her sister, unable to keep the tears at bay. Saying it out loud had somehow made it all worse.

"Hey...Steph, look at me. I'm positive that he is missing you just as much as you miss him. Maybe he's not as open about it, but he cares about you. I'd go so far as to say the guys in love with you. You're everything to him, and there's nothing he wouldn't do for you."

"I know that. He's never said it aloud, but he doesn't have to. I see it every time I look in his eyes. I even miss his eyes." Stephanie growled in frustration. "What am I gonna do, Kat?"

As Kat opened her mouth to reply, their comm links buzzed to life.

"All personnel please report to the Gate Room. I repeat, all personnel please report to the Gate Room."

"Hm? Wonder what's up."

"Hopefully," Kat smiled as she stood up, untangling herself from the limbs of her friend. "Its something to take your mind off things."

Stephanie stood as well, straightening her tank top and BDU pants. As they left the room, she threw her hair into a messy ponytail and smiled at Kat, casting her a glance from the corner of her eye.

"What's that look supposed to mean?"

"Its nothing. Its just...he hates it when I wear my hair like this."

"Like what? Up, or messy?"

"Both." She giggled softly. "Oh well. I do it just to mess with him anyways."

"You are so mean to him."

"Am not. We're equally abusive to each other. We call it compromise." Stephanie stuck her tongue out, sending both women into another fit of laughs as they entered the Gate Room. Nero and Torren entered a second later and they all came to a dead stop.

Marines stood at various places around the room and on the balconies, their guns trained on the three imposing figures in the middle. All four knew who it was. They had grown up with them, not as enemies, but as allies. The moved closer for a better look.

The Commander, Todd, stood in the front, centered between his Second Commander, Kenny, and his First General, Robert. They looked much the same as they did in the future, but then, what was time to the Wraith. They had probably looked the same for hundreds of years. A few more decades wouldn't really cause much change.

Kat, Nero and Torren smiled before turning their eyes on Stephanie. They cast looks amongst themselves as John moved closer, the Wraith following him.

"Todd, this is Katriessa, Nero, Torren and Stephanie. Guys, this is Todd. That's Kenny and this here is...ummm...lets call him Robert. Don't worry. They already know about the whole time-travel deal. Its cool."

The silence that followed made the air seem thick and uncomfortable. Three sets of eyes moved from Stephanie, to Todd, then back again.

As her eyes locked with his, Stephanie was overwhelmed with emotions. Joy, relief, sadness, frustration, and desire filled her, making her chest ache and her stomach twist. She took a few shaky breaths and for a moment thought about wrapping her arms around him and never letting go. Instead, she nodded curtly and turned on her heel. A few unsteady steps and she took off at a dead run. So many thought and emotions battled inside her, she didn't trust herself to be so close.

'Well, you wanted to catch his scent. You certainly managed that.' A voice inside her head laughed mockingly. Oh, she had caught his scent alright. It was the same as always, the smells of leather, musky air and spices; very masculine and very much Todd. She closed her eyes as she tried to remember the first time she had gotten close enough to notice it. She had been almost fourteen at the time. They had been training with Todd and Kenny in the ways of Wraith combat. As she had made to block an attack from Nero, Katriessa had knocked Torren's feet from beneath him and he had pulled the matting as he fell. Stephanie stumbled and as she fell, a strong leather-clad arm caught her by the elbow and pulled her up. When she regained her senses enough to notice, there were less than two inches between them.

She had tried at every opportunity since that day to catch his scent. At first she had been discreet about it, but as the years went on and she got older, she became bolder. It went from brushing by him, in a hurry to be somewhere, to attempting to spar with him. He always won, but she always got close enough to satisfy herself. At some point he had caught on to her game, and to her surprise, decided to join it. She was seventeen when she finally realized her feelings for him, and at the age of nineteen, she told him what those feelings were. They'd been together since, at least until now.

When she came back to reality, Stephanie found herself in one of the sparring rooms, out of breath and ready to collapse. She had run a good three miles of stairs and hallways without stopping or slowing. 'Ha. Put that on my next physical fitness test.'

She sat on the window seat, looking out over the city and the ocean. Within moments, she was asleep.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Well...that was a warm welcome." John said, turning to look at the rest of his team.

"What the hell are you going to do to her?" Rodney yelled, glaring accusingly at the Wraith Commander. Todd simply looked at him, a brow raised.

"I have not done it yet, Doctor McKay, therefore I do not know what it is that I will do."

"If- if I may?" Nero interjected, "He doesn't do anything. Seeing you, well, it isn't easy for her. She's probably a mental wreck right now, but it's not because of something you're going to do wrong."

"Nero's right on this one." Torren jumped in. "You and Stephanie are really close in our time. Hell, we all think of you as family, an Uncle or something, but its different for her. Out of all of us, she's the only one you ever taught personally to fight. You taught her the Wraith language, customs, culture, and ethics. In truth, I think part of her is more like you than like us."

"Mhm, and by close, Torren means really, really close. It's not really my place to say, but now's the time to say it, and Steph isn't here to say it herself. For all intent and purpose, you two are...I suppose something similar to engaged, though Wraith don't get married or engaged. That's the only way to say it."

Silence followed the group ramble. Rodney looked as though he were about to pass out, while Ronon simply looked pissed. Teyla and John appeared calm, but the young adults knew that their outward calm meant inner chaos. The three Wraith seemed somewhat stunned by the news, and none of them were going to blindly accept what they considered non-sense.

"That is absurd. The Commander would never tie himself to a filthy human." It was the first time 'Robert' had spoken, and his voice was rough, full of disgust and anger at such an accusation. The way he spat the word 'human' had struck a nerve for all the non-Wraith in hearing distance.

Todd spun, towering over his General. His eyes blazed and his lips curled, exposing his shark-like teeth.

Nothing needed to be said, for Robert lowered his eyes, and as he glared at the floor, he muttered an apology that only the Commander and Kenny could hear. He hadn't realized that these humans had come to be equals in the eyes of his Commander. Even with knowing the full extent of his Commander's thoughts towards the Lanteans, five and a half centuries of traditional thought and teaching would not let him feel the same way.

'It would be wise, General, to keep your thoughts to yourself.' the snarl of the Commander filled his head, but he made no reply.

"I wish to speak with her while I am here. It is the only thing I will ask, in return for the assistance of myself, my Second Commander and my General."

John thought about the offer for a moment. "Fine. Don't guess it can hurt anything, but after you hold up your end of the bargain."

"Very well, Sheppard. We have much work, Doctor McKay. We would like to begin as quickly as possible."

"Right." Rodney led the way to his lab, where they would all be spending at the least, the next forty-eight hours coding and analyzing various subroutines. Todd had agreed to help with upgrades to the cities defenses as well as trying to find a way to conserve the ZPMs. 'It is going to be a very long forty-eight hours.' he thought, only to hear Todd chuckle behind him.

"That's creepy as hell. Stay out of my mind."

"One does not need to enter your mind, Doctor McKay, when you project your thoughts so loudly on your own."

'Yes,' Rodney though, 'A_ very_ long forty-eight hours.'

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A/N: There you have it. Nothing fancy and it's not that great, but it could be worse I suppose. Let me know what you think, hm? All criticism is welcomed and appreciated.


End file.
